Why do some countries succeed?

As we will show, poor countries are poor because those who have power make choices that
create poverty.
― Daron Acemoğlu, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty

When we think about global superpowers that greatly influence international relations
and economy, we often think of at least the P5 countries (United Kingdom, France, United
States, Russia and China). Even when we choose to eliminate the main actors of every UN
committee as well as the P4 and take into account the Top 25 Economies in the World
(Investopedia), we can observe countries such as the Netherlands and even Saudi Arabia that
do not seem to have a common thing that makes them wealthy. The thing is, however, that
they all have something in common.
Let us start with the P5. Each P5 fits one of the 2 categories (which are inherently
one, but I will explain that later): a) ex-imperialists and b) global economic powers.
The United Kingdom, the greatest empire that ever existed on Earth, the one who is
responsible for the thirteen colonies that would later become what is now known as the
greatest global power (both economically and militarily speaking) - the United States. Not
only had this ex-empire managed to incorporate countries from every continent on the globe
outside of Europe, but was also able to keep most of its ex-colonies close enough (through
Commonwealth and/or global labor arbitrage), while they could still be considered colonies
practically, but not theoretically anymore. Same applies to France, except that even though
the era of colonies is over, France still has under its administration 13 territories outside
Europe. And lastly, Russia, the frozen giant that covers the entirety of north Asia. Russia’s
economic power comes from its greatly expanded territory (possessing rich natural resources
from the Siberian forests) and from its post-soviet-continuous influence on countries that
broke from the USSR.
The United States is practically the rebirth of the British Empire, but at a higher level
as they managed to assert domination across the globe not through direct colonialism, but
rather through a more subtle one. Capitalism and military influence. During the Cold War, the
world has been permanently divided into two spheres of influence, socialist and capitalist,
USSR vs the United States. The rivalry between the two continues to this day even after the
collapse of the USSR. The Eastern European countries that broke from the communist bloc
found a good friend in the US and that is what the US wants, to form alliances with countries
from which they could greatly benefit economically and militarily. China (all over the world)
and Germany (the largest trading partner for most EU countries) have a similar approach, but
their main focus is economic power, both being in the top 3 largest trading partners alongside
the US (according to the World Bank).
The introductory section of "Why Nations Fail," penned by its author, delves into an
examination of Egypt's situation. In doing so, the book dismantles previously held theories
that aimed to elucidate the reasons behind Egypt's failures. These theories included notions of
geographical drawbacks attributed to climate and desert challenges, leaders lacking insight
into effective public policies that could foster Egypt's prosperity, and even suggestions that
the essence of Islam hindered its development.However, a closer analysis of the preceding
nations reveals that their development predominantly occurred because of their access to a
wide array of resources stemming from substantial expansion. More importantly, it was the
presence of fitting leader(s) during opportune moments and in suitable locations – not
necessarily the finest leaders, but ones who possessed the right strategies – that truly guided
the effective implementation of these strategies within their nations.
Naturally, the statement "poor countries are poor because those who have power make
choices that create poverty," as articulated by Daron Acemoğlu, suggests that leaders of
nations like Egypt who pass misguided policies, leading to their downfall. I concur to a
certain degree, but it's worth considering that Egypt, for instance, was once a colony,
manipulated to serve the interests of its colonizers. Interestingly, those wielding power are
often the colonizing entities, with the impoverished nations serving as their colonies.

Bibliography
Daron Acemoğlu, Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty
https://www.investopedia.com/insights/worlds-top-economies/ (Top 25 Economies in the
World - Investopedia)
https://countrystudies.us/russia/59.htm (Russia - Natural Resources)
https://wits.worldbank.org/CountrySnapshot/en/WLD (Trade Summary of the World 2021)
Tim Marshall, Prisoners of Goegraphy